Sunshine Mexican Cafe Nears Joliet Opening

JOLIET, IL - August is here and that means Ruben and Jessi Rodriguez are in the home stretch of opening their new restaurant, Sunshine Mexican Cafe, at 406 North Scott St. Their restaurant will feature breakfast and lunch. They will offer carryout service and have an outdoor patio in the back for dine-in guests.

On Thursday, the owners told Joliet Patch they expect to have Sunshine Mexican Cafe ready to open before the end of this month. Their building, previously vacant, is behind the Car Wash at the corner of Jackson Street and Route 53.

The entrepreneurs have spent the past several months working on the renovations.

"Our goal is for people to come here and they can get something they like, the way they like it," explained Jessi Rodriguez during Thursday's interview. "We're going to be breakfast and lunch because we see a need for that downtown."

Their family has lived in Joliet the past dozen years and has established strong roots in the community, she said. A lot of people already know them from the party-planning business called Party Time RJ.

Sunshine Mexican Cafe will focus on two types of food: authentic Mexican, as well as American cuisine, especially for the breakfast.

They will offer a traditional American breakfast including eggs, hash browns, bacon and coffee, for instance. They plan to offer a salad bar and want to be known for their tacos, stews, tamales and tostas.

They also want to be known for being fast.

Sunshine Mexican Cuisine will offer a "quick breakfast" for folks on the go.

The Joliet family chose to open their new restaurant in downtown Joliet because they are enthused about all the revitalization taking place here.

"We see how much potential there is," Jessi Rodriguez remarked. "We're really looking forward to the changes they have planned."